Why does this all matter?
Learning Objectives
- What is something you learned during this chapter?
- What steps will you take after reading this chapter to help revitalize an endangered language?
Why is this all important? Why does this all matter? Through reading this chapter, you should begin to grasp the importance of the role of access and power within language learning. When I first began studying my first language, Arabic, I never once considered the importance of language learning. I was only 11 years old, but I still didn’t understand the different kinds of access and power that learning a language affords you. You can travel the world, you can teach your language to a new person, you can keep a culture alive in your own family, or you can help revitalize an endangered language. The power you hold when learning a language is immense and not to be taken lightly.
Another aspect of this chapter that I hope stays with you for the rest of your language-learning experience is the fact that through language, you can learn about culture. In this multimedia textbook, you’ll find chapters on culture specifically, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t prevalent in every single chapter. Culture is something that has been a lesson in every single language class I’ve been in and was even a major topic in every linguistics class I’ve taken. So, with the importance of language within culture, it is crucial that we attempt to preserve as many endangered and/or minoritized languages as possible.
While a major focus of this chapter is around minoritized and endangered languages, majoritized languages and their variations are also important. All of these languages deserve attention and love, and they should all be studied with passion. Another important note in the access and power within language learning is mostly talking about traditional languages; variations within languages such as AAE and Mexican-Spanish are also important to keep in mind. These variations are crucial when it comes to understanding the role of access and power within language. That being said, we should not let the power of the majority or majoritized languages eclipse the value of access to minoritized languages.
Overall, the role of access and power in language learning is extremely important and sometimes overlooked when you are learning a language. You may understand that learning a language can give you more access to the world, and that is true. However, what is usually overlooked is the fact that learning languages don’t just give you access and power, but it can help you revitalize a language, giving access and power to new people around the world. Whether it be you attempting to learn a language for yourself or to help revitalize an endangered language. This demonstrates that the importance of language learning and the access and power it can give its learners are immensely underrated.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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